A leading building materials and solutions provider, Holcim (Schweiz) AG – a subsidiary of the worldwide LafargeHolcim Group Ltd – offers cement, aggregates and ready-mix concrete for a wide range of applications. These include infrastructure, commercial and residential construction projects, and Holcim products are used in projects from underwater construction, high-rise buildings, and low-energy housing to complex tunnels.

Holcim Switzerland & Italy needed a mobile tech platform for operational communication in their Swiss and Italian manufacturing plant, quarries, and office service areas to connect approximately 1,500 workers. Along with aligning local Holcim communities into one online community, the main priorities for Holcim Switzerland & Italy when implementing Beekeeper were:

Reach factory workers on the manufacturing plant floor and in remote locations

Quickly distribute company operations information and content from small to large, dispersed teams across 70 locations

An easy-to-use and implement, multi-functional, and mobile tech platform for plant workers with variable literacy and who speak multiple languages

$50,000 Reduction in Print Collateral Costs

One pivotal shift for Holcim Switzerland & Italy's internal communications is the format of their employee magazine. Published in three issues a year, the company decided to move the entire publication online. Holcim now saves over $50,000 per year by not printing the employee magazine, including invaluable cost savings when it comes to employee labor used to produce the magazine. The employee magazine is hosted online, and feature links to the stories are stored and shared through Beekeeper.

Health and Safety Best Practices Communication Streams

In addition to videos that demonstrate warm-up exercises for construction and plant workers before beginning their physically-strenuous work at a jobsite or factory, Holcim shares H&S Tips. These safety guidelines include what to do in extreme heat conditions when working outdoors, and other tips that contribute to a safe working environment.

During the Health and Safety weeks, workshops are conducted throughout Holcim’s manufacturing plants and offices where team members brainstorm, strategize, and learn about the latest best practices when it comes to reducing worksite hazards and risk. Photos and key takeaways from these sessions are uploaded to Beekeeper communication streams, such as photos of contributions from workers written on Post-It notes. Plant managers use the workshops as a way to better engage and connect with workers and follow-up on questions raised through Beekeeper. Posts and comments can be easily read by all with inline language translation.

Connecting Manufacturing Plant Workers and Operations

Using Beekeeper, plant managers and staff share updates on equipment maintenance, such as new acquisitions or improvements to existing construction infrastructure. Since Holcim partners with many leading design firms and other building industry companies, Beekeeper is the ideal operational communication platform to share site visits that showcase the latest innovations at these partner businesses that ultimately become a part of Holcim’s projects.

"My crew includes around 110 people. They are out and about our plant all day and I hardly ever have the opportunity to talk to them all at once. Beekeeper offers me the opportunity to connect with them and to strengthen the company cultural changes." –Mike Suter, Plant Manager, Siggenthal Cement Plant, Holcim Switzerland & Italy

Download the complete Holcim case study for more real-world examples on how to improve operational communication with dispersed manufacturing teams.